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Team Needs: Cleveland Browns |
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Following the same format with the Browns' needs as I have with the others wouldn't seem to make much sense because the Browns have very little chance of acquiring any immediate help in this draft. The team has just four selections, the first coming in Round 4 after 121 players will have been selected. For all intents and purposes, the Browns' 2008 draft has begun like this:
Round 1, Pick 22 – QB Brady Quinn
Round 2, Pick 56 – DL Corey Williams
Round 3, Pick 87 – DL Shaun Rogers
Fortunately for the Browns, they don't appear to have too many pressing needs. Here are the top three things they should look for with the picks they do have:
1) A developmental rush linebacker – Because they'll be selecting only on Day 2, the Browns will likely be much better off taking a chance on an intriguing prospect who's far from a sure thing. (Keep in mind that no player is a sure thing. Even Peyton Manning had detractors.) Georgia Tech's Darrell Robertson, a college end, might fall to the Browns because of the injury that has kept him from working out. Another guy to keep in mind even later might be
Cincinnati's Angelo Craig. The current group could use immediate attention, but like I said, that won't come in this draft. Maybe Antwan Peek will step up in his second season in
Cleveland.
2) A corner – The other part of the package that brought Shaun Rogers to town was starting cornerback Leigh Bodden. The team liked Brandon McDonald when he stepped into the lineup against the Texans last season, and Daven Holly has proved useful in the past, though not good enough to avoid getting replaced in the lineup. Obviously, if the coaches didn't feel comfortable with the remaining players on the edge of the defense, Bodden likely wouldn't have been moved. Still, another player would be good.
3) A backup running back – No matter what you thought of Jamal Lewis last season, he does not have a ton of tread left on his tires. Behind him on the depth chart sit Jason Wright and Jerome Harrison, who have been good enough in their first few years to cause the Browns to sign Lewis last winter and re-sign him in 2008. There are running backs everywhere you look in this draft, so
Cleveland should be able to find a guy with some kind of upside in the late rounds.
Matt Schauf is a contributing writer for Draft Stock and an associate editor and senior fantasy football writer for SportsBuff.com |